Combined vending machine and game



Jan. 29, 1 929. 1,700,541

F. L. MILLS v COMBINED VENDING MACHINE AND GAME Original 'Filed Aug. 30, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 lzgi.

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3 Sheets-Sheet 2 F. L. MILLS COMBINED VENDING MACHINE AND GAME Original Filed Aug. 30, 1926 1 z w m 7w% 6 x H a a 7 0 w J 9 8 6% Q fig 23 V? 7, w .L m v 3 01%.}?jlliwfiw w 7 W" m .rKrVLKKWLL?PBWMKFPb NWRD, a 2 w m 2 4 E u u F N. r n

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F. L. MILLS COMBINED VENDING MACHINE AND GAME Original Filed Aug; 30, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Jan. 29, 1929. I

FRED L. JMI Ls, or CHICAGO; ILLINOIS, A$$IGNOR TO1MILLS NOVELTY COMPANY, or. a I CHICAGO, ILLINoIs, A CORPORATIONLOF ILLINoIs, I

COMBINE VENDING MACHINE AND GAME.

. qriginal application filed August 30,

' This invention relates to improvements in a combined vending machine and game and more especially'to' such a vend ng machine adapted for supplying small articles such as,

I balls of candy tovbe vended.

for example, candy and the like.

.The-inventionis embodied in a machine of this kind adapted to vend a single article for each coin, check, or slug inserted, and 1n connection therewith, through the game apparatus, give the operator an opportunity, by a the exercise of skill, to obtain an additional article. l r p I In connection with'the vendmg apparatus,

' means are also provided for agitating the j In that form of device shown In theaccomQ panying drawings, Fig. '1 is a' view in front elevation of a combined'vending machine: and game, Fig.2 1s a slmllar view in ,rearj elevation, Fig. 3 is a vertical sectionalview taken asin'di cated by the line 3 of Fig. '2. Fig. dis a vertical sectional view takenas indicated by the line 4 of Fi'gi2, andFig. 5

' ,isa view taken as indicated by' the line 5 otFigl. f

As shown in the drawings, the, device housed in'a suitable case 10:madeofwoodor other suitable material, and preferably provided with a glass panel front 11, The lower part ofthe case 10 is preferably widened as indicated by .-10 'and the upper su'rtac'e in front is preferably provided lwitha glass 1 panel or window 12 in order to gives-a View into the hopper containing the articles to'be v ve'nded.

a agistrates a preliminary g s s pusher is then depressed whereupon themachine delivers one of the articles-being vend- 19%, serial No. 132,506. Divided and this applicationifilied May 31, 1927. s riaiNoglaasse.

description of. the construction and operation'ofthede'vice will assist in making the disclosure. suitable coin, for example, one cent, isinserted n the com slot. A com ed, for example, a candy ball. When the coin push-er is raised; a steel ball is released at the top ofthe device behind the 'g lass panel 11. This balltumbles downwardly in an uncertain path between stationary pins. Ar-

ranged below these pins is a transversely movable cup operable by a knobon the outside of the device;- "Through the exercise offskill, it is possible for the operator to move this .cup'to catch the steel ball. In theevent the operator succeeds infca'tching the steel ball in the c'up; the cup then moved t'o'the end of its stroke whereupon upon being moved back, through suitable apparatus, an extra candy. ball is delivered; In order to increase the picturesque effect; the steel ball is delivered at the top.. from behind a small figure 7 representing a baseball batter, and the'cup is mounted on the rear side of a small figure representin a ball.

g ja baseball play erfabouttocatch 1 will first describe the'vendingfapparatus.

"13 indicatesthe coin slot, and 13 the opening at the upper end where the coin inserted.

'14sindicatesa vertically slidable coin" pusher carrying backwardly' projecting 'pin 15 having pivotallyfmounted thereon the swingv ingflatch l6jprovidedjwith an arm l6 projectingthrougha-slot llZiin the lower end of the coin slot. ,fTheupper' edge of the end of the arm 16* is slanted orbeveled as indicated by 16", sothat a coinitalling downwar-dfin the coin slot engaging this bevel will swing the latch- 16out of thejway andjallow sthe coin to pass to'its positionbelow-the arm 16*.

18 indicates a bellecra'nk leverffo'r opera ing the mechanism pivoted atl9 and having,

one end 18 also projectingthrough the slot under its lower end .'f]20 indicates a'coin in the position itoccupies after havingbeen a dropped in't'he slotiand before the-coin pusher 4 V i q pres ltp il b een ha t e c i has passed the arm ieafo theflatchlltian diis resting on top of theg rm lg offthefbell crank 18. When in this position, it serves as a connector between the coin pusher and the arm 18 so that when the coin pusher is depressed, it will depress the coin to also push down the arm 18 unti1 the arm 18 gets to a position low enough so that the coin can pass it and drop out of the lower end 13 of the coin slot and into the coin box 21.

The movement of the bell-crank 18, as above described, operates the vending apparatus in the following manner. The inner endofthe crank 18, as indicated by 18 has attached thereto a link 22, which in turn is connected to one of the arms of another bellcrank 23 pivoted at 24c. The arm 23 of the bell-crank 23is provided witha pin 25 pro jecting through a slot26 in the vertically slidable rod 27 which has its. lower end pivoted to the arm 28 of the bell-crank 28pivoted at 29. The other arin28 of the bellcrank28 is provide d with a slot embracing the pin 30 in the article. feeder 31. As shown in Fig. 5, the article feeder ispivoted at 32 and cut away at33 in order to form an opening to embrace one of the candy balls 34:. Each time the article feeder is rotated, one of the candy balls is permitted to roll out into the tray 35/ It will be seen that with a coin in place as a connector between the arms 16 and 18 downward movement of the coin pusher will rookthebell-crank 18 to pull the connecting bar 22 to rOcktheIbell-crank 23 to lift therod 27. to move. the bell-crank 28, Which will in turn swing the article feeder 31.

I" will now describe more in detail the agitator. The candy'ba'lls, as indicated by 34?, arecontained in a hopper 35, the bottom of whichpreferably istapered' toward the round outlet tube 36. Vertically slidable on the tube 36 is acollar37 containing radially arranged wings 38 adapted to move up into the hopper through slots in the bottom thereof when the collar 3? is moved upwardly. Such upward movement of the collar 37 and the. wings 38 serves to agitate the candy balls in the hopper causing one or more of them to roll toward; the lowest part thereofand into the tube 36.

' This wire is kept raised until the coinpusher The bottom of the tube 36 leads into the slant- 35. Each time'that the machine is operated, the agitatoris moved by means of the link 41 connected to the arm 18 at its upper end and at its lower end to the arm 42, which in turn is connected'to the collar 37. The agitation oi the candy balls in the hopper will insure at all times aprop'er supply to theinag' .azine 39, thus keeping this magazine filled and" insuringat all times a supply to the feeder 31.j

Iwill now describe more in detailthejgame mechanism. At one. side of the machine is a vertical tube filledwith a row of balls'51.

For example, these balls may be of steel and all of the same size and weight; or, if desired, they may be made of other suitable substances, and may be of different colors and weights. Also, if desired, these balls may vary in size to a certain extent. Variations in the size or weight of these balls will cause i er of the machine, entitle'the operator to an additional reward or compensation. For the purpose of illustration, I have assumed here- 7 in that the balls are made of steel and conse-.

quently have so referred to them hereinafter. The extreme end of thearm 23 of the bellcrank 23 is provided with a finger 52 projecting into the ball tube 50 below the last ball.

Upward movement of the finger 52'is adapted to raise the column of balls and enough'balls are provided so that when the column is thus raised, the ball at the top will leave the tube and enter the slanting runway 53. 54 indicates a latch pivoted at 55 adapted togpermit a ball lifted upwardly by the finger 52 to pass, but preventing it from'dropping back. The spring 54 urges this latch to its normal position. At the'upper end of the. ball tube, another latch 56 pivoted at 57 and operated by a spiral spring. 58, as shown, servesto start a ball into the runway 53 when pressed out of the top of the cup.

59 indicates a vertically movable wire having lower end connected to the'arm 23 as shown, and its upper end adapted to project up into the runway 53 when thearm 23 is raised. By means ofgthis construction, when the arm 23 is raised to lift'thefinger 52 upwardly a ball is expelled from the top of the tube- 5O and enters the runway 53', but is pre vented from passing the upper endot the w re 59 as long as this w re remams raised.

is raised in the following manner. 60 indicatcs a lat-chpivoted at 61, the lower end of which is yieldingly pulled to the right (as viewed in Fig. ,2) by thespiral spring 62. Upon down-ward movement of the coin pusher with the coin in place above the ar1n18 the extreme end of the arm 18 'is engaged by the When the coin pusher raised, thepin 15 thereon engages the upperfend 60 of the latch 60,'which is suitably slanted as shown, thus rocking the latch 60 to disengage the end 60 from the arm 18 whereupon the spiral spring 63J returns the bell-crank toitsori'ginal posi- 131011. This movement aga n lowers the wire 59'tl1us permitting theball to pass down-- a l 120 f '1 lower end 60 of the latch 60, andthus held 1n 7 7 this position until the coin pusher "is raised.

fwardly along the runway 53 and' escape through the opening at the top of the ma chine. Arranged below the opening 7 Ois a balanced trough 71 open at both ends and'can' ried by the pin 72 mounted insuitable' bear- U mounted in the front side of the board 76.

' finger 52. I, I

Through skillful manipulation by means of The fall of the steel ball will beobstructed more or less by the pins 75 causing it to travel downwardlyb'etween said pins in an uncertain path. V

Arranged below the pins 75 is a horizontally slidable cup 77 mounted on the slide wire 7 8 and operable from the front of the machine by the knob'79 through the lever 80 and link 81 which in turnis connected to the lever 82 having its upper end connected to the pin 88 on the back of the cup. The lever 82 is pivoted at 84 and is normally held'in the position shown in Fig. 2 by means of the spiral spring 85.

In the event the steel ball falling downwardly through the pins 75 is not caught in the cup 77 the same fallsonto the track 90, which is slanting and it rolls downwardly on this track and again enters the ball tube at the bottom below the latch 5 1 and on top of the finger 52. V i

The track 90 is infront of the board 76 and consists of two slanting rods (see Figs. 1 and 4). Opposite the lower end of this track there is a door or opening through the board 76 permitting the ball to leave the lower end of the track, pass through the door or opening in the board 7 6,and emerge into the ball tube 50 below the latch 5 1 and on top of the the knob 79, however, it is possible to move the cup 77 so that it will catch the steel ball 51 and if this is accomplished, the cup is movedv over to the left (as viewed in Fig. 2) whereupon" the ball rolls out of the cup through the opening 91 and intothe trough 7 92. The cup 77 on its rear side carries a depending arm 93 projecting into the trough 92 through a slot on the upperside. Afterthe steel ball has fallen from the cup into the trough 92, the arm 93 will be on the left side thereof (as viewed in Fig. 2') sothat movement of the .cup again to the right (as viewed in Fig. 2) will force the ball alongthe trough 92. This movement causes a delivering of another article in the following manner. Projecting upwardly into the. trough 92 is the,

. cam-shaped upper edgeof the lever 94 pivoted at 95 and providedwith an arm 96 hav 111g itsend interlocked with the upper end of the rod 27. Movement of the ball 51'to the ri ht as pressed'by the arm 93 will cause the same to enter the bevel cream-shaped upper edge of the lever 94t-thus rocking the same and lifting theba'r 27 to feed'another article as above described. The spiral spring-97 opcrates to return the feeder to its original pothe trough 92 rolls backwardly through the hole 1 10whence it drops onto the track 90 50. The front side of the ball tube is provided with aslot in order to give a view of the balls therein. a

While I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement maybe made without departing from the spirit and scope of. the in. vention as disclosed in the appended claims,

the right hand end (as viewed in Fig. 2) of 7 in which it is my intention to claim all novelty inherent in my invention as broadly as possible in view of the prior art.

What ,I claim as new, and by Letters Patent, is:

1. In mechanism of the character set forth.

desire to secure a hopper provided at'its bottom with an out-1 let; an agitator associated with the outlet of J g said hopper; an inclined magazine extending from said outlet; and an ejectorcontrolling thedischarges of articles from said magazine, said ejector comprising an oscillatory article feeder provided with a' recess adapted to accommodate the lowermost article in the magazine. j Y

2. In mechanism of the'character-set forth 1 a hopper provided at its bottom with an out- I let; an outlet tube leading downwardly from the outlet inthe bottom of the'hopper; an" inclined magazine extending from the-bottom of said outlet tube; an ejector controlling the passageof articles from said magazine and an, agitator associated with the outlet of 120.-

said hopper, said agitator includinga verti": cally slidable collar mounted on the outlet tube.

3. In'mechanism of thecharacter Serrated i ahopper provided at its bottom with an out) V e 125.5

let; anoutlet tube leading downwardly from the outlet in the bottom of the hopper an in cline-d magazine extending fromthe'bottom ofsaid outlet tube; an-ej ector controlling the g passage of articles from said magazine; and an agitator associated with the outlet of said.

and rolls back into the bottom of the ball tube hopper, said agitator including a vertically slidable collar mountedon the outlet tube and agitating members carried by said tube.

4. In mechanism of the character set forth: a hopper provided at its bottoInWith an outlet; an outlet tube lea-ding downwardly from the outlet in the bottom of the hopper an inclined magazine extending from the bottom of said outlet tube; an ej eotor controlling the passage of articles from said magazine; and an agitator associated With the outlet of said hopper, said agitator including a vertically slidable collar mounted on the-outlet tube and radially mounted agitating members carried by said tube.

FRED L.IVIILLS. 

